cover image Gone Too Far

Gone Too Far

Natalie D. Richards. Sourcebooks Fire, $9.99 trade paper (304p) ISBN 978-1-4022-8554-7

Richards (Six Months Later) delivers a gripping whodunit with a challenging ethical dilemma at its center. High school senior Piper Woods finds a journal filled with incriminating revelations about her classmates. Soon after, Piper begins to receive text messages from an unknown source who is determined to right the wrongs that led to the death of Stella DuBois, a classmate caught in a compromising act. Piper, an outsider and the yearbook photographer, picks each target, and her mystery accomplice fits the punishment to the crime. The plan works a little too well, and as Piper gains a boyfriend and chronicles the demise of the popular clique through her lens, she finds that her family and friends are targets themselves. Faced with the decision to reveal herself, Piper must also uncover her accomplice, a situation that leads to violence. Richards maintains a quick pace and creates enough red herrings to keep readers guessing. The subtext of the novel, that change is inevitable, is poignant and clearly established through the characterization of Piper and her friends. Ages 14–up. Agent: Cori Deyoe, 3 Seas Literary Agency. (Jan.)